Admittedly, not seeing them provides much less useful information, but for those posting something like "I didn't see any between X and Y on highway Z" could help to clear certain areas. FWIW, there is also not a balloon in my sexy neighbor's bathroom. At least, not that I can see with the telescope. Giggity.

Stuck in Blacksburg, VA, but had I been home I would have taken care of Arlington and some of DC. There are a bunch of Farkers from there though so I think we'll be ok. Blacksburg is cold and wet and in the middle of nowhere so I'm assuming there isn't one here.

TMBGfreak:lizardcowgal: TMBGfreak: punkrockgirl: TMBGfreak: One got reported on 10 balloons a block and a half from me in West Lafayette, IN...I'm going to go check it now.

Purdue is definitely likely, let me know!

Oh, and FWIW I have a pretty extensive facebook network around Purdue and haven't heard of anything. Put some questions out there, too.

I've been out and about at Purdue today as well - where was the bogus one supposed to have been? Anyway, I haven't seen anything.

There was one on 10balloons in front of Windsor

Thanks! After I asked you, I realized I could just, you know, look at the map my own damn self, instead of waiting for you to tell me! Shockingly, I'm not blonde. Pretty sure that there would have been a lot more reports if it was right there along State St.

lizardcowgal:Thanks! After I asked you, I realized I could just, you know, look at the map my own damn self, instead of waiting for you to tell me! Shockingly, I'm not blonde. Pretty sure that there would have been a lot more reports if it was right there along State St.

Yeah, I figured since I live a block and a half away, it'd be worth my time to go confirm or deny for sure.

sonofslacker:they are doing this for the coming martial law to be declared. determining the best way to control the masses and break up any large group communication.

The experiment is set up backwards if that is the case.

This seems much more like a test to see how accurately and quickly they can expect to receive information gathered by the populace. The winning submission and how it was acquired will tell them some, but the real data is in all the wrong answers they get.

If they were looking for a way to suppress info, they would release something personally embarrassing to the majority of internet users and see how the internet contains it (lolcats cause impotence or something). Or more likely they would run the contest similar to this, but award prize money to everyone that submits coordinates for a balloon based on a sliding scale with more correct coordinates decreasing the amount paid out to each reporter.

The WindowLicker:sonofslacker: they are doing this for the coming martial law to be declared. determining the best way to control the masses and break up any large group communication.

The experiment is set up backwards if that is the case.

This seems much more like a test to see how accurately and quickly they can expect to receive information gathered by the populace. The winning submission and how it was acquired will tell them some, but the real data is in all the wrong answers they get.

If they were looking for a way to suppress info, they would release something personally embarrassing to the majority of internet users and see how the internet contains it (lolcats cause impotence or something). Or more likely they would run the contest similar to this, but award prize money to everyone that submits coordinates for a balloon based on a sliding scale with more correct coordinates decreasing the amount paid out to each reporter.

I see it as something in response to the biggest problem of the Green Revolution. That is, how to get a good signal to noise filter on the massive info dumps that go on because so much is either crap or intentional disinformation. The thing is, for it to work, you need the populace on your side, so it seems like more of a tool in case of invasion (I'm looking at you Canada) or ways to effectively aid situations like those in Iran so the US can actually do some good and not sit around twiddling our thumbs like we had to last June.

The Fark model seems very effective with a select few moderators with finely tuned bullshiat detectors declaring what work needs to be done so there is a sort of effective command and crowdsourcing all at once.

Other possibilities:Dimmick Park (State?) There is a park by that named in Northern CaliforniaOakland Cemetary (State?)historic, 6-acre, cemetary in Atlanta, GA.Brunswick, CT (there is no city by that name but there is a 104 acre college prep school)

As I posted to the prior thread a few minutes ago, there were 65 entries already and DARPA reports that it may not publish the winner the same day it receives the winning entry... therefore someone could have won already.

TMBGfreak:I see it as something in response to the biggest problem of the Green Revolution. That is, how to get a good signal to noise filter on the massive info dumps that go on because so much is either crap or intentional disinformation. The thing is, for it to work, you need the populace on your side, so it seems like more of a tool in case of invasion (I'm looking at you Canada) or ways to effectively aid situations like those in Iran so the US can actually do some good and not sit around twiddling our thumbs like we had to last June.

The Fark model seems very effective with a select few moderators with finely tuned bullshiat detectors declaring what work needs to be done so there is a sort of effective command and crowdsourcing all at once.

I think you are probably on the right track here. It's set up just wrong to be a study for suppression. If our government wanted to shut down the internet, I think they probably already have as good a shot planned as anyone could develop.

I really think that this is more an experiment in using humans as a sensor cloud. If you look at the trend in military hardware and doctrine, the same slogan appears in different guises: "every soldier a sensor, every marine a collector, put sensor capability on every vehicle, ect..." I think they have realized the massive volume of data this will generate as these changes take effect. I think they are looking at ways to process this flood of data that may or may not be accurate and may also (probably will) have the oppforce actively trying to spread misinformation.

The more I think about this experiment, the more elegant it appears to me. It kind of saddens me that people are taking this immediate knee jerk reaction to it and thinking about how the government must just want to stifle communications.

The WindowLicker:The more I think about this experiment, the more elegant it appears to me. It kind of saddens me that people are taking this immediate knee jerk reaction to it and thinking about how the government must just want to stifle communications.

I'd rather not have Big Brother know its population's communication abilities. The Patriot Act is still around, you know.

Correct me if I'm wrong, or lack the appropriate humorous view of it, but isn't disinformation supposed to be believable? Yes, it's funny that there's a penis in Alaska and giant smiley in Canada, but to properly disseminate bogus sightings, these sightings should be within the set rules and show a random and even coverage.